Box Office: 'King Arthur' Bombing, Could Lose to 'Snatched'

Holdover 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' will easily stay atop the chart in its second weekend with $60 million or more.

Where is Excalibur when you need it?

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, the second big-budget event film of summer 2017, is bombing at the North American box office, where could lose Mother's Day weekend to the Amy Schumer-Goldie Hawn action-comedy Snatched in a huge upset, according to early Friday returns.

King Arthur, helmed by Guy Ritchie and starring Charlie Hunnam and Jude Law, is projected to debut in the $18 million range from 3,702 theaters, give or take, after costing a hefty $175 million to produce. Warner Bros., Village Roadshow and Ratpac financed the fantasy, male-fueled film.

Snatched is predicted to earn in the $19 million range from 3,501 locations, with many box-office forecasters giving the Mother's Day action comedy the upper hand over King Arthur. Fox spent $42 million to make the movie, which marks Hawn's first turn on the big screen in 15 years.

On Thursday night, King Arthur earned $1.2 million in previews, while Snatched grabbed $650,000.

King Arthur follows a young Arthur, who had a tough upbringing in the back alleys of the city. But once he pulls the sword from the stone, he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy. Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen and Eric Bana also star in the film, whose release was delayed numerous times.

Neither King Arthur nor Snatched were embraced by critics, with current ratings of 26 percent and 38 percent, respectively, on Rotten Tomatoes.

And Snatched will open well behind Amy Schumer’s breakout film, Trainwreck, which debuted to $30 million in summer 2015 for Universal.

The R-rated Snatched, produced by Chernin Entertainment follows a mother and daughter who find themselves trying to escape after being abducted on vacation in Ecuador.